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World Telecommunication and Information Society Day ceremony on 17 May
ITU Award presentation to President Ueli Maurer of Switzerland,
Volkmar Denner of BOSCH and Jean Todt of FIA
Geneva, 14
May 2013 – ITU
will present the World Telecommunication and Information Society Award to Mr
Ueli Maurer, President of the Swiss Confederation; Mr Volkmar Denner, Chairman
of the Board of Management of Robert Bosch GmbH; and Mr Jean Todt, President of
the International Automobile Federation (FIA).
The Award is presented in recognition of their leadership and dedication towards
promoting ICTs as a means of improving road safety.
The theme, “ICTs and Improving Road Safety” for World
Telecommunication and Information Society Day 2013 is in line with the United
Nations “Decade of Action for Road Safety” which dedicates the period 2011-2020
towards improving global road safety.
As many as 1.3 million people die each year in traffic related accidents and
another 20-50 million people are injured mainly in developing countries around
the world. As a result, Governments and individuals suffer an estimated USD 518
billion in global economic loss.
ITU has been leading worldwide efforts in developing state-of-the-art ICT
standards for Intelligent Transport Systems and driver safety that utilize a
combination of computers, communications, positioning and automation
technologies, including in-car radars for collision avoidance. ITU has also been
developing standards for safe user interfaces and communication systems in
vehicles as well as optimizing driving performance by eliminating unsafe
technology-related distractions while driving.
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What:
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World Telecommunication and Information Society
Day
Theme: ICTs and Improving Road Safety
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When:
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17 May 2013 at 11 am
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Where:
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ITU Popov Hall, Tower Building, Avenue Guiseppe
Motta, Geneva
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Why:
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World Telecommunication and Information Society
Day marks 148th anniversary of the
establishment of ITU on 17 May, 1865.
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Who:
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Award ceremony honouring:
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Mr Ueli Maurer,
President of the Swiss
Confederation
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Mr Volkmar Denner,
Chairman of the Board of
Management, Robert Bosch GmbH
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Mr Jean Todt,
President, International
Automobile Federation (F.I.A.)
Felipe Massa, Ferrari
Formula-1 driver, will demonstrate car simulator
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On 17 May, ITU and the Fédération Internationale des Automobiles (F.I.A.) will
announce a partnership to collaborate on global road safety over the next seven
years to raise awareness and highlight the linkages between ICTs and road
safety.
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Media information:
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UN press accreditation is valid. Media
accredited to WSIS Forum are invited. All other
media, contact ITU Press Office:
pressreg@itu.int
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Webcast:
www.itu.int/en/wtisd/Pages/2013-webcast.aspx
For more information, please see
www.itu.int/en/wtisd/Pages/default.aspx or contact:
Sanjay Acharya
Chief, Media Relations and Public Information
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Note for media:
please register in ITU’s video newsroom for access to broadcast quality footage
and news packages at
http://www.itu.int/en/newsroom/Pages/videos.aspx
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